So when was $500 ever an issue in Fredonia?
On Sunday, this corner took the village chief of police to task for his cancellation of the National Night Out event over $500 in the village last Tuesday. But trustees also deserve blame as well.
In June, board members agreed to pay a former employee more than $20 an hour - part time - to fill out paperwork. The employee was already retired from the village and collecting a pension.
That retired employee did not have to be paid $20 an hour, but the village approved the rate and defended it.
"The person we hired back will work quarterly, and maybe a one-day work week, and maybe only four hours at that. That equals about $328 for the year,," a trustee said.
That's $328 a year, not $164 if they decided to pay the employee half the rate or $131 if they paid the employee $8 per hour.
The message sent from these minor cash issues, but significant decisions, is this to village of Fredonia taxpaying residents: there's no pinching pennies when it comes to pay rates for the government employees, but there is for items that residents participate in and come to celebrate.
